International Straits Commission

Turkey said on Feb. 28 it was blocking warships from the key Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits in line with a convention that gives it control over the passage of military vessels in the strategic area.

Ukraine asked Turkey to close the Straits to Russian warships

The Montreux Convention gives Turkey the right to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to warships during wartime, but Russia can still pass through the straits to return its fleet to its bases, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

Ukraine has demanded Turkey to close its straits for Russian vessels, Ukraine's Ambassador to Ankara Vasyl Bodnar said on Feb. 24, after Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine.

"We conveyed our official request to the Turkish side regarding the closure of the airspace, the Dardanelles [Strait] and Bosphorus [Strait] for Russian ships," he told reporters at a press conference.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has urged the Turkish government to preserve the Montreux Convention during the recent escalation between the West and Russia in Ukraine.